Out of sight, out of mind: measures designed to shield public from contamination push costs on future generations Here in Michigan, 45% of the population gets its drinking water from groundwater, including two million who rely on private wells. Groundwater also feeds streams and rivers, and sustains wetlands. It is an invaluable resource, but Michigan… Read more »
Traverse City, Mich.—On October 22, FLOW (For Love of Water) and Great Lakes Business Network (GLBN) filed a brief calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals to stop a pipeline company from stripping away Michigan’s power to protect the Great Lakes. Enbridge Energy, which owns the dual Line 5 pipelines, launched the 2020 federal lawsuit… Read more »
Download the report: Institutional Controls for Groundwater Management: Long-Term Costs and Policy Impacts The true economic, ecological, and social costs of relying on land use restrictions to address groundwater and soil contamination instead of active clean up are likely significantly higher than generally estimated. That is a conclusion of a new report submitted to the… Read more »
Traverse City, Mich.— On Friday, August 2, 2024 FLOW submitted comprehensive legal and technical comments (PDF) to the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and Environment (“EGLE”), calling on EGLE to deny a groundwater discharge permit for the Fremont Regional Digester owned by Generate Upcycle, a Delaware corporation. The Coalition of signatories includes Fremont area… Read more »
July 31, 2024: Michigan Supreme Court affirms EGLE’s authority to issue General Permit with stronger conditions for factory farms Traverse City, Mich.— FLOW applauds the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision yesterday, rejecting the Court of Appeals’ dangerously flawed ruling in Michigan Farm Bureau v. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Unsatisfied with permit terms… Read more »
Policy Brief: Impacts of Anaerobic Digesters (PDF) Anaerobic digesters are facilities that decompose organic waste, separating biogas from solids and liquids, called “digestate.” Biogas can be used on-site or processed into purified pipeline-grade biomethane for electricity or transportation. On confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), a biodigester may be a cover on a cesspit…. Read more »
Children play near a coal-fired smokestack in 1972—two years after the federal Clean Air Act was passed. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Editor’s note: Learn more about FLOW’s efforts to shut down Line 5 and stop the proposed oil pipeline tunnel on FLOW’s Line 5 program page and new Line 5 fact sheet. By Zach Welcker, FLOW Legal Director For Love of Water (“FLOW”) submitted legal and technical comments before today’s deadline in response to the U.S…. Read more »
For over three years, FLOW has analyzed and reported on one of the biggest gaps in Michigan’s environmental protection safety net—groundwater protection. Now, during National Groundwater Awareness Week 2021, we are reaffirming and expanding upon our call for stronger state groundwater protection policies and actions. We’re also releasing our new report, “Deep Threats to Our Sixth Great Lake.”
Photo above: MPSC Chairman Sally A. Talberg, presiding over the Commission hearing today on Enbridge’s proposed oil pipeline tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac. The following statement can be attributed to Liz Kirkwood, environmental attorney and executive director of FLOW (For Love of Water), a Great Lakes law and policy center based in Traverse City:… Read more »
